Spring Lovers
by Aishoujo
Summary: This is intended for the #KakaIru contest on DA - Iruka and Kakashi knew each other when they were children - knew each other, loved each other. And then Kakashi was expected to marry someone else. Five years later, after the death of the princess of fire, Iruka gets a formal invite from across the border requesting his attendance. And Spring has never looked so beautiful!


His eyes feigned slight resilience over the scenery. The backyard was filled with several cherry blossoms, spread out across the grass - trees and bushes - falling swiftly towards the ground like a feather in the wind. The grass was long and screamed for a cut, which was exactly what the gardeners were doing a few meters away. The koi pond situated right in front of him was bombarded by different colored fish, and with a smile, Iruka moved onto his knee over the small bridge situated on top of the pond stream and dipped his hand into the water. Warm, just like the hot sun.

The footsteps caused his attention to quarrel as he tipped his head and yet hadn't turned. Even when the man in the dazzling midnight blue kimono with japanese kanji kneeled in front of him and watched the man's intentions closely.

".. Your house was beautiful." Iruka choked out in awe, as he continued to splash his hand against the water.

The grey-haired man stared at him with a dull expression over his face which gave off nothing but the willingness to examine him. And of course, Iruka's face gave out all, his amazement and curiosity, which reminded him of their child years. "Oh?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "You didn't really seem that interested when you were zooming through the entire banquet."

Iruka laughed a little, though it seemed rather nervous. "I'm.. sorry, I must have looked quite tardy." He paused as he felt something caught in his throat, "... I just can't believe you're a prince now."

"I didn't see it coming either." Kakashi laughed along with his dumbfounded look, "When I was told to marry the princess, Tsunade, I wasn't aware she held any type of disease. When I became the prince, there wasn't any reason for me to be apart of the big decisions. And after she died, the entire city of Fire came into my hands."

Iruka feigned a small smile over his face. "That's not what I mean." He could already imagine the curious look over the slightly taller man's face, "I can't believe you of all people..."

There was silence between them. Iruka wondered if he took it to far. But the laughter that came shortly after died the feeling down.

"Ma, ma, Iruka-sensei. You don't think I'm prince material?"

"It's hard to see you like one when I grew up with your ill-perverted ass."

They met when they were young - Kakashi, eight and Iruka, six. They weren't always in the best terms. Well, to be honest, Iruka hated Kakashi's guts and it seemed like viseversa. Iruka was a scrawny boy which caught unwanted attention from many in the area – particularly two of his classmates. It wasn't so bad - having his things thrown into the air, his homework being copied, his lunch money being stolen - until the day that his parents died and Iruka started to stand up for himself.

Which wasn't that much of a wise choice at first. A few days after he began going back to school, the bullies had chosen the wrong person to mess with. Iruka kicked one of them, with surprising strength in their not so formal place. As the man doubled over, his friend swooped in and began punching the boy over and over, pinning him down to floor as he gave the other chance to heal himself before he joined as well. It hurt - the punches, the kicks - and not to mention the weight both bullies were hoisting on him. Iruka was already full on in tears which were forced away with the strength of Tatako's fists. And in a sudden aversion, their bloodied hands were off him.

He hadn't remembered what had happened exactly. He was too concentrated on the pain with his eyes closed and the tears gushing rapidly to really hear the screams of the bullies and the words of their attackers - his hero. Too concentrated on the pain to really notice that his bullies were running away with loud footsteps. Too concentrated to feel the hands over him pick him up and set him over the boy's back, one hand swooping over his buttocks with the other holding his hands steady.

Iruka was already full out of consciousness to care.

What he did remember though was the scream of a woman as he was being set down onto a couch. Opening his eyes tiredly as he began to gain his vision and his eyes went to the three figures over him. The brown man was whispering orders to the woman and the one boy - standing by his head - his hero was pressing his hands gently against Iruka's face to wipe the tears away.

And the thing that he remembered the most were the words - "Don't touch him like that Kakashi! You're hurting him!" - before he was dozed back into the world of blackness.

Sarutobi, Kakashi's uncle, persuaded Kakashi to become friends with him. Apparently Kakashi didn't really.. get a long with people, which was why it was difficult for him to make friends. The news made Iruka wonder why he had hated him in the first place. But already, Iruka had created a small spot for him and Kakashi took it gracefully.  
It was a symbol of unity - Inseparability.

But things weren't deemed to last.

Sarutobi was not aware of the love Iruka and Kakashi was informally forming. Well, how could he? Nor did Iruka or Kakashi. So when Sarutobi came to Kakashi with the demand of marrying one Princess Tsunade of fire at the age of eighteen, both of them hadn't taken it too lightly. Iruka thought it was just the feeling of losing a friend. Losing someone else in his life. Kakashi.. well, Kakashi already knew by then. His feelings, but his cowardness forced him to become reluctant.

It was under a cherry blossom tree, in the month of April, that it all came out - Kakashi's confession and Iruka's realization. Their first kiss was sweet and delicious like a sugary candy apple. But when Sarutobi's voice broke their mild activities to warn Kakashi that the carriage was coming to take them across, they both had immediately broken off looking guilty and unsettled. "We shouldn't have done that.." Iruka mumbled under her breath, his fingers to his lips at their recent encounter.

".. I don't regret it." Came the sheer, yet hesitate reply. And that was how they left it - without as much as a look to eachother - Iruka one way and Kakashi the other.  
Iruka continued to go to school - meeting friends, enemies and even his first boyfriend - Mizuki, which had ended on.. really bad terms. His experiences had forced him to become quiet and therefore making others try more and it helped a lot in building his character. He decided he wanted to help people as well which made set on the idea of becoming a teacher. Iruka Umino, fifth grade teacher, Ame Academy.

Five years later he heard about the death of a certain princess of fire. And five months later, he opened his door to a formal-attired man who held one invitation in the brinks of a giant wooden music box.

_ Iruka Umino, you have been honored with an invite from Prince Hatake… _

Although hesitate at first - leaving what he had made out of his life- his friends, his students, the house he lived in - he decided to go anyway. He knew Kakashi well enough to know his expectations which was why, before he packed, he made one last trip around the house in order to finish his spring cleaning.

This brought him to where they were now. In the backyard – watching the workers work, the cherry blossoms fall, and the fish swaggering throughout the koi pond hurriedly. And the two kneeling over the bridge while watching all of this take place.

Kakashi continued to laugh, unknown of the thoughts swirling through his childhood friend's head, "Such language from a sensei who spends hours with annoying brats." He pointed out crudely, "You should watch your mouth.. If you haven't forgotten, you're in the presence of a god!"

Iruka knew he was only joking, but he snorted anyway which sported another wave of chuckles – from both Kakashi and himself. "… Hold on a second." He mumbled under his breath, ".. How did you know I was a teacher?"

"Oh dear.. I'm caught now, aren't I?" Kakashi questioned. By then, Iruka was staring at him intently. ".. Hm, well let's just say I hadn't totally cut ties with you when I left."

"Do I even want to know?"

"No, no you do not."

The two had once again fell into heaps of laughter– forcing looks their way – but the two hadn't given them the time of day too busy enjoying each others company. Iruka felt the wind blow along with the cherry blossoms and placed his hands over his hair in order to swipe them off his lips, yet he was already beaten to it.

"I haven't laughed like this in a long time." Kakashi told him honestly as he set the strands of hair behind the male's ear causing them to redden. It produced a hint of a smile over his unmasked lips, "I want to laugh like this more often."

By then, Iruka's laughed had ceased and his attention went back to the koi pond. ".. So what are you saying, Kakashi?"

"Iruka-sensei, will you stay with me?"

He was expecting those words from Kakashi– who was known in their childhood to be spontaneous and blunt – and he knew that if he wanted to see him, there was some reason behind it. The entire drive through the border forced him to wonder if this was really what he wanted. The man who had caused him to be quiet for the rest of his childhood and made it hard to trust people. Made it hard to have a satisfied boyfriend when the entire time he was locked on someone else and knew it, but was too set on the future to really admit it. He had made him go through complete hell, and back several times.. But..  
But.. He was also his first love. And he couldn't say that he left his house knowing that he was going to come back.

The silence worried Kakashi for a moment. He wondered if Iruka was actually going to say no. On the other hand, it brought him great joy to know that Iruka was thinking about it. The last few years were complete shambles for him. Tsunade was a great wife – that was true – but he realized from day one that he would never see her as such. His wife. His wife would always be Iruka. When they slept together, the tanned man's fingers would find a way carrously through his hair and his body which forced out his name before he could even catch himself but, thankfully, his mistress would already be in deep slumber to even hear or care about him – her thoughts plagued by a certain toad with hair as bright as snow and perverted acts that made Kakashi's look like simple flirtations.

".. Yes." The simply word forced him out of his thoughts and stare at the man with wide – shocked – eyes. "I'll stay with you, Kakashi."

He was off his knees in an instant, his leap had caught them both in surprise, as he pounced on the man. Their kiss lasted more than a sakura-blossom on its way to the ground. Long and full of hope – full of new beginnings that suited both their tastebuds graciously.

They sat together over the bench of the manor – their legs swinging as they watched the entirety of the backyard. The gardeners were already done with their grass-trimming, and the fish were now swimming gently through the waters. Iruka stared out with a small smile over his lips, in a dark red kimono and his brown hair flying alongside the wind, beside Kakashi whose hands were not that far from his.

The servers went out to check on them; a bright blonde male stood a little away from Kakashi to catch his attention. Kakashi turned to him, then looked back at the love of his life. "… Iruka, we've been here for a while." He pointed out before he paused to give him sometime, ".. Do you want to eat something?"

Iruka thought about it for a moment, before he turned his head to look at Kakashi. "… Harumaki." He said after a while before his attention went back to the breathtaking scenery.

"… Excellent choice." Kakashi muttered as he waved off his most prized servant before he slid towards Iruka's body and placed a single hand behind him. Iruka blinked, but relented and the two shared the utmost beautiful scenery—exentuated with such youth and unity—together. And forever.

* * *

** Harumaki = Spring rolls**

Sakura = Cherry blossoms

Haru = Spring

Ame = Rain


End file.
